Under the weather, stressed out, down in the dumps or feeling blue, sad or pissed off? Whatever you call it, a low mood can be physically and emotionally draining and take the color out of life. Are there natural tips you can use to feel better. Research from around the world says "yes".

If you can’t seem to get over it, you could be suffering from depression. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates depression affects nearly 21 million American adults each year and that approximately 4 percent of adolescents get seriously depressed.

Typical symptoms of mild to moderate depression include a low mood, lack of energy, problems sleeping, anxiety, eating much more or less than usual, difficulty concentrating, poor tolerance for stress and irritability.

Clinical depression isn’t something you can "snap out of" --- it’s a chronic illness that usually requires long term treatment. If you think you may be suffering from depression you should consult your doctor. Depression is generally treated with psychotherapy or medication, or both.

Whether it’s depression or a bad week that’s causing your mood to plummet, feel empowered by the fact that there are things you can do to change your outlook and lift your spirits. Based on medial research, we have compiled a list of 10 tips to help you feel better:

1. Eat a Balanced DietA diet rich in fruit and vegetables, lean meat, whole grains and fish can be a real benefit, affecting not just your physical health but your mental health too. The body and mind are linked. It's sometimes easy to forget that your blue mood is affected by, and can affect, your physical state.

A large, cross-sectional study from the University of Melbourne, Australia, published in 2010, found women who regularly consumed a diet full of vegetables and low in saturated fats, a so-called ‘traditional’ diet, were more than 30 percent less likely to have major depression, dysthymia, and anxiety disorders compared with women who lived on a "Western diet" high in processed foods and sugars.

"Simply put, if you habitually eat a healthy diet that includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality lean meat, then you may cut your risk of depression and anxiety," said principal investigator Felice Jacka, PhD. The precise diet-depression connection is still being studied but it can’t harm you to eat foods that are proven to improve your physical health and get some spirit-lifting side effects as a bonus.

2. Drink Green Tea

People who frequently drink green tea are at lower risk of developing depressive symptoms over time, according to a cross-sectional study reported in the December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Green tea is reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-stress effects on the body but it could also help your mood.

Researchers at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering in Sendai, Japan, looked at 1,058 community-dwelling Japanese aged 70 or older who drank a lot of green tea. The participants filled out questionnaires and were evaluated on a depression scale. The researchers found a more frequent consumption of green tea (four or more cups a day) resulted in a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms.

3. Increase Your Intake of B6 and B12

Higher levels of Vitamins B6 and B12 are associated with a raised mood and less risk of developing symptoms of depression. A 2010 study from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found older adults showed a lower risk of depression over long-term follow-up consultations when taking Vitamin B6 and B12 supplements. The Chicago Health and Aging project looked at adults at least 65 years old. A sample of 3,503 adults from the study completed a food questionnaire and depression assessment. After adjusting for age, sex, race, education, income, and use of antidepressants, the study found higher total vitamin intakes including supplements were associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms; 2 percent lower per year for each additional 10 mg of vitamin B6 and an additional 10 μg of vitamin B12.

4. Hit the Gym

It can give you killer abs and tone up your arms but cardio exercise can also give your mood a workout. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, regular physical activity is good for both depression and anxiety and will also help improve your mood and self-esteem. A 2007 study by Dr Astrid Bjornebekk of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, showed that exercise, particularly running, has a similar effect to antidepressant drugs by stimulating the production of new brain cells.

You don’t need to pound the treadmill for hours if that’s not already your thing. A 2005 study from the University of Texas evaluated the moods of patients with clinical depression after they rested or walked at a gentle pace for half an hour. Both groups showed improvements in mood but the walkers had significantly higher feelings of energy and positive well-being. According to John B. Bartholomew, MD, from the University of Texas, "The number of acute exercise bouts needed to produce a therapeutic effect is unknown; however, exercise training interventions have effected a substantial improvement in symptoms in only a few weeks."

You can also get mood-lifting benefits from working out in water. A 2007 study from the University of Hull, UK, looked at the effect of a single bout of exercise on the mood of pregnant women participating in an aqua- or studio-based exercise class compared to a parentcraft and a control group. The study found that taking part in the water or studio classes resulted in an increased overall mood score and a significant increase in feelings of energy. A decrease in levels of depression was found after the aqua-gym classes. Make sure you follow a well-designed plan you can complete on a regular basis and don’t overdo it at the beginning. Talk to your physician if you have concerns about any medication you are taking that may affect your ability to exercise.

5. Find the Light

It’s thought that exposure to sunlight affects your mood and if you don’t get enough natural light it could cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The condition is thought to be linked to the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls sleep, sex drive, appetite and mood. A 2005 study led by a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine found that light therapy effectively treats mood disorders, including seasonal affective disorder, and was comparable to antidepressant therapy for raising mood. The findings were based on a systematic statistical review of 20 previously reported, randomized, controlled studies.

Working out can also be more effective in the light. A 2002 study from the National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland, found bright-light exposure combined with physical exercise elevates mood. The study looked at working-age adults, one group who took part in physical exercise in bright light and one in normal indoor conditions.

Researchers found physical exercise both in normal indoor illumination and in bright light was effective at alleviating depressive symptoms. However, exercise was significantly more effective at alleviating depressive symptoms when combined with bright-light exposure. If you want to see extra benefits from your workout, take a walk or run in the park during the day or fly kites and play ball with the kids in the sunshine.

6. Try Yoga

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, mind-body activities such as yoga and Tai Chi raise your mood.

Yoga and Tai Chi are particularly effective for reducing anxiety and enhancing relaxation. Yoga can have a particularly strong effect on increasing your level of wellbeing and raising your sprits. A 2009 study from the Psychiatry Department of Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran, found women participating in a two-month yoga course experienced a significant reduction in perceived levels of anxiety and that yoga could be considered as an effective complementary therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders.Further evidence comes from researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital who found that practicing yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels, low levels of which are associated with depression and anxiety. Researchers in 2007 compared GABA levels before and after yoga, compared with a control group who read a book for one hour, and found a 27 percent increase in GABA levels in the yoga practitioner group after their session.

7. Increase Your Omega-3 LevelsOmega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like salmon plus walnuts and kiwi fruit, can substantially raise your mood according to recent research. Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science, analyzed more than 160 studies concerning food’s affect on your mood and found that omega-3 fatty acids provide many benefits, including improving learning and memory and helping prevent depression and mood disorders. “Dietary deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in humans has been associated with increased risk of several mental disorders, including attention-deficit disorder, dyslexia, dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,” he said. In addition, a 2010 study from the Department of Psychiatry and Centre de Recherché du Centre Hospitalier at the Université de Montréal found omega-3 supplements significantly reduced symptoms of major depressive episodes compared with those taking a placebo. Getting your omega-3 fatty acids from food rather than from capsules can be more beneficial, Gómez-Pinilla reported, as food also provides additional healthy nutrients.

8. Listen to MusicYou may have already experienced a lift in mood when you play your favorite tracks at full volume and have a sing-along when you remember the words. 2008 research from the Central and Northwest London Foundation NHS Trust examined the effect of music therapy alongside standard care compared to standard care alone among people with depression. Does music elevate mood? According to the research, four of the five studies individually reported greater reduction in symptoms of depression among patients undergoing music therapy than to those in standard care conditions. Further research is required in order to investigate how music works on the mind and whether rock or r’n’b is better at raising your spirits.

9. Boost Your Levels of Vitamin DIf you’re missing out on sunlight during the winter months or illness confines you to the house, you’ll probably feel a drop in your mood. This is partly due to a lack of Vitamin D, according to researchers at the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

“Vitamin D deficiency continues to be a problem despite the nutrient's widely reported health benefits,” said Sue Penckofer, PhD, RN, professor at the university, who states the preferred range in the body is 30 - 60 ng/mL of 25(OH) vitamin D. A 2008 report in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal showed that increasing levels of Vitamin D intake protected the elderly against depression. Sunlight is the best way to get sufficient Vitamin D and supplements can help correct a deficiency. While some reports have suggested that Vitamin D's role in boosting your mood may be overblown, it can't hurt to make sure you're getting the recommended daily amount of Vitamin D.

10. Laugh Out Loud

While it may seem like the last thing you want to do, having a good belly-laugh can actually help improve your mood ---even if you don’t feel like laughing. Research from the Loma Linda University, California found having a laugh can lower stress hormones and lift your spirits. This happened because laughter upped levels of beta-endorphins (so-called ‘happy hormones’) by 27 percent and reduced stress hormones, cortisol, epinephrine and dopac, by up to 70 per cent.

So, pull out the DVD of your favorite funny movie, go to a comedy club. You could end up actually laughing away your troubles.